Welding school opens doors in Hanahan

Arclabs currently features 10 booths for students for hands-on training. MICHAEL QUIRK/GAZETTE

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Students demonstrated the new school’s equipment at the Sept. 13 grand opening.

Arclabs – a welding school that provides a variety of training options – opened its doors to vendors and prospective students on Sept. 12.The new 933 Commerce Circle, Hanahan campus is the third for Arclabs, joining Columbia and Piedmont, S.C. Opened in March, the school has 10 booths for hands-on training.Arclabs plans to have 10 additional booths by the end of the year and 10 more in 2014, according to Paul Connerty, vice president of operations.Classes are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and last 10 weeks. Night classes are also offered Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., and take 20 weeks to complete, according to Arclabs admissions counselor Reagan Prozzi.Prozzi said that the curriculum used is from the National Center for Construction Education and Research. An end-of-course welding test is required for certification.According to Prozzi, prospective students are required to have a high school diploma or GED and must pass a drug test. There are four welding processes taught and there are payment options available.Tuition for the 400-hour classes is $6,850 with a separate, advanced 900-hour class for $15,300.“Some choose to pay upfront but there are payment plans available,” Prozzi said. “We cater the payment plan for each individual.”At least 70 percent of graduates must be placed in new jobs for Arclabs to remain accredited; the new location’s current percentage is in the high-80s.One way that the location hopes to keep the numbers up is through the new Job Experience Training program.JET is designed for companies to give Arclabs what tasks they need their future employee to perform, and in turn the future employee will begin training for those specific tasks, Connerty said.“It works out well for everybody involved,” he said. “We’re very, very excited about it.”At the recent open house, some of the vendors that came were national suppliers who performed live demonstrations of new equipment.Victor Tech was one of the vendors in attendance. The company displayed its oxy-fuel system as well as a three-in-one welding machine.For more information contact the school at (843) 261-0044 or by email at information@arclabs.com">information@arclabs.com.

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